Chandigarh: Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has ordered disciplinary action against former Director General of Police Siddharth Chattopadhyaya and two other police officers in connection with a security lapse during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the state in January last year.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has written a letter to the Home Department seeking a hefty fine, accepting disciplinary action against the three top police officers.
Apart from Chattopadhyay, who has retired, disciplinary action will be taken against former Deputy Inspector General of Police Ferozepur Range Inderbir Singh and former Senior Superintendent of Police Ferozepur Harmandeep Singh Hans. It is being told that now these officers will be asked to file their replies.
According to a letter issued by the Home Department to the Personnel Department on Monday, Mann also decided that an explanation should also be sought from former ADGP (Law and Order) Naresh Arora, former ADGP Cyber Crime G Nageshwar Rao and Mukhwinder Singh China (former IGP Patiala) and other officials.
They will be asked why disciplinary action should not be initiated against them as per the report of the inquiry committee set up by the Supreme Court.
Several state officials were indicted by the Supreme Court-appointed committee to probe security lapses during Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Punjab in January 2022.
On January 5, 2022, PM Modi’s convoy was stuck on a flyover in Ferozepur as the road was blocked by protesters. After this, he returned from Punjab without attending any program including the rally. The supreme court had on January 12 last year set up a committee to probe the violations.